Dear Editor,

While I applaud the concept of the E-commerce National Delivery Solution (ENDS) and the grave need for it during the national lockdowns, my only interaction with the entities implementing this portal was via my contact with the Small Business Association of Jamaica.

I kept my professional opinions to myself and waited to see what would come from this ENDS.

Indeed, I am left disappointed, as usual, when the Government gets involved in projects that should make things work better.

The first document I got from the ENDS people was via a FAQ (frequently asked questions) document, which outlined, among other things, how to register your business. But before I saw this document, which was sent to me on Sunday, April 4, at approximately 2:00 pm, I noticed a number of entities had already been listed, and I had a concern about how at least one was added.

There has been a claim that this is a pilot but even for pilot ventures, especially one that involves an online portal, it makes sense to have a registration section that allows any business to register as you can claim that these people are being processed. Indeed, the ENDS has a NON-WORKING registration portal, but somehow there are listings in the app already. So it begs the question: How did these entities qualify?

I find this concerning, especially with hearing every day in various media that the ENDS is working well, and is an equitable, fair, and efficient system.

So, here are my other challenges:

1) The is no “back” button to the main page.

2) https://ends.gov.jm/contact does not work as at April 4, 2021 2:34 pm.

3) https://ends.gov.jm/faq does not work as at April 4, 2021 2:34 pm.

This pilot project seems like it will end up in the same poor management file as the Jamcovid app.

Mark Trought

CEO, JamaicaShoppingCart.com

marktrought@gmail.com